Travel Technology - Do Verizon iPhones Come With SIM Cards?

[VZW customer service and tech support is "experiencing higher than usual call volume."]

If you own a Verizon iPhone, did it come with a Verizon SIM card in the slot? Mine did not. I'm just wondering because I hear they have some international data plans that might under some circumstances be worth considering and I don't see how a CDMA network phone could do this unless the GSM side had a SIM card.

The 4S comes with a pre-loaded SIM card for intl roaming. The plain 4 does not and won't work overseas.

The iPhone 4 will not work on GSM networks. There are foreign CDMA networks which is compatible with including China, India, Korea, Israel, and Indonesia.

The 4S comes with a pre-loaded SIM card for intl roaming. The plain 4 does not and won't work overseas.

I have a 4s. I hope you don't mind my asking if what you said is based on your own phone.

My 4s also came pre-loaded with a Verizon SIM card for international GSM access. I take it out and use a third-party SIM with cheaper rates. Verizon's per-minute rate for almost all non-US countries is $3 / minute inbound or outbound. By comparison, received calls on most 3rd party SIMs is free.

On the other hand, Verizon's data roaming package is a very good deal, I believe that it's 100MB for $25. The only way you're going to beat that in most parts of the world is with a local SIM card per-country.

So, did you actually eject the SIM tray? And your brand new 4s has a mini-SIM card holder, flush to the right edge of the phone, but when you insert a paperclip into the hole and eject the tray, it contains no micro SIM card? If that's the case, I'd contact Verizon.

My 4s also came pre-loaded with a Verizon SIM card for international GSM access. I take it out and use a third-party SIM with cheaper rates. Verizon's per-minute rate for almost all non-US countries is $3 / minute inbound or outbound. By comparison, received calls on most 3rd party SIMs is free.

On the other hand, Verizon's data roaming package is a very good deal, I believe that it's 100MB for $25. The only way you're going to beat that in most parts of the world is with a local SIM card per-country.

So, did you actually eject the SIM tray? And your brand new 4s has a mini-SIM card holder, flush to the right edge of the phone, but when you insert a paperclip into the hole and eject the tray, it contains no micro SIM card? If that's the case, I'd contact Verizon.

Yes, several days ago as soon as I was informed it was unlocked. I wanted to try my European SIM card and found nothing inside.

My Vz 4s came with sim card, which ostensibly would be activated when traveling. However, I asked them to unlock to use with third party sim cards. Have used successfully throughout Asia, including HK, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, China, Thailand, and Indonesia. In both S/M also used with data plan, and created hotspot for iPad2 use.

Like everyone else here, my 4S came with a Verizon SIM. I had Verizon unlock the phone so I can use local SIMs elsewhere. ALl works as it should. I'd contact them if I were you - the phone is supposed to come with a SIM.

Like everyone else here, my 4S came with a Verizon SIM. I had Verizon unlock the phone so I can use local SIMs elsewhere. ALl works as it should. I'd contact them if I were you - the phone is supposed to come with a SIM.

It is supposed to be preloaded with a Sim, but that Orange Vodafone card might not be activated - call Global Support & check with customer care to confirm and that roaming/int'l travel use are enabled.

We have 2 global CDMA/GSM android devices from "Big Red" and the Sims were not provisioned or linked/activated - and it's not fun to call in from Ho Chi Ming City even when there is CDMA roaming services for VZW accounts. If those Sims were activated and IMEI device linked/locked but not used for a while, they could be automatically shut off & no longer validated (as in "get a new" one ...)

Ours were unlocked so we're free to use whomever & whatever providers we wanted, etc.

It is supposed to be preloaded with a Sim, but that Orange Vodafone card might not be activated - call Global Support & check with customer care to confirm and that roaming/int'l travel use are enabled.

We have 2 global CDMA/GSM android devices from "Big Red" and the Sims were not provisioned or linked/activated - and it's not fun to call in from Ho Chi Ming City even when there is CDMA roaming services for VZW accounts. If those Sims were activated and IMEI device linked/locked but not used for a while, they could be automatically shut off & no longer validated (as in "get a new" one ...)

Ours were unlocked so we're free to use whomever & whatever providers we wanted, etc.

Even if you completely subscribe to the "expense it" theory of roaming, a spare SIM on a different carrier can save you tons of hassles. Look at the Verizon or ATT International roaming forums and see how many people thought that they had international roaming active but for some reason or another it didn't retake (or reset). My wife had this happen on her fourth trip to a country in a year. Everything was good on trips one through three.

The iPhone also has its own list of weird preferences, e.g. a Verizon iPhone won't roam in a country where there is a CDMA partner without a roaming agreement, even though they have a partnership with the GSM provider in that country unless you disable CDMA roaming. An iPhone won't check for a 2G roaming partner if it sees a 3G signal which it can't roam on. While a second SIM won't solve all the problems, it will help you out somewhat.

There are three types of Verizon phone with a sim:

1) "Pure" CDMA phones with a sim card used to identify the customer. These sims are capable of having roaming enabled for use in a GSM device.

2) CDMA/Global phones with dual mode CDMA and GSM

3) LTE devices (all LTE phones use a SIM) which means you can swap sims between devices.

That said, an LTE sim doesn't work in a CDMA device (like an iPhone) or the other way around...

Thank you so much. I've got a VZN Nexus and VZN iPad 4g that I swap the LTE SIM cards for. Was wondering if I could put it into my wife's VZN iPhone 4s.

A question you might be able to answer... When I swap the LTE sim from my Nexus and put it in my iPad I wish there was a way to forward texts from the Nexus to my google voice account when the device is powered off. I can forward calls, but texts are so far a no go.

Any ideas? I know there are apps that can forward texts but they all require that the phone be powered on with a signal...

There are three types of Verizon phone with a sim:

1) "Pure" CDMA phones with a sim card used to identify the customer. These sims are capable of having roaming enabled for use in a GSM device.

2) CDMA/Global phones with dual mode CDMA and GSM

3) LTE devices (all LTE phones use a SIM) which means you can swap sims between devices.

That said, an LTE sim doesn't work in a CDMA device (like an iPhone) or the other way around...

I assume that the GSM is the European ./ Asian GSM and not the North America GSM ,
Does it have all the 3G GSM frequancies for European ./ Asian GSM , and not just EDGE

Thanks

Soarer